interreligious dialogue

Equal participation and shared responsibility in society are at the basis of a peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims, participants at an inter-religious symposium in Tehran, Iran, declared last week.

The UN has backed a resolution calling for interreligious understanding. But its backing by a regime known for its religious intolerance has provoked mixed responses. The issue of faith and terror was also discussed.

An inaugural Roman Catholic-Muslim Forum has affirmed the right of individuals and communities to practise their religion in private and in public, while also rejecting terrorism in the name of religion.

The Pope has received a delegation of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultation with which the Holy See says “for over thirty years has contributed to understanding and acceptance between Catholics and Jews”.

Christian communities should improve their knowledge of Islam, be good neighbours to Muslims and bear witness to their faith in an appropriate manner, according to an international group of church leaders and experts on dialogue.

The World Council of Churches along with some Christian world communions, the World Evangelical Alliance and the Roman Catholic Church are expecting some 50 church leaders and experts at a high-level Christian-Muslim dialogue in Switzerland.

In the comfort of a simple Swedish meeting room, 25 Christian and Muslim women have been meeting to talk about how religion, which is often blamed for conflict and violence, can also move people toward peace and cooperation.

Christian and Muslim groups are urging a peaceful resolution following attacks allegedly by groups linked to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mindanao in the Philippines, and retaliation by government troops.

A Filipino army officer, who fought against Muslim secessionist rebels in southern Philippines, says he realised that somehow the cycle of violence must end, so he helped pioneer Project I.S.L.A.M., or I Sincerely Love All Muslims.

Dialogue is “the best way for mutual understanding and cooperation in human relations as well as in peaceful coexistence among nations,” said the final communiqué issued by the recent Madrid conference on inter-faith relations.